Just Watched Castle in the Sky - Don't Let 2-D Animation Die!

Some Things Shouldn't Be Done with 3-D Animation

by Mark Rollins
Nov 28 2005 12:00AM
This image, showing the aformentioned castle itself, shows just a small bit of the magic that can be brought forth in 2-D animation. This picture and all the detail within it was done by hand.

In case you haven’t heard, Disney has announced that they will no longer be doing traditional hand-drawn animated films. Disney/Pixar’s soon to be released feature Cars will mark the end of their partnership, and probably begin a war between the two computer animation groups. With CG films such as Dinosaur and Chicken Little being the new standard of animation with Disney, it is clear that Pixar’s films, such as Toy Story and Finding Nemo, are the true family classics.

Which leaves us with an important question: is 2-D animation dead? I certainly hope not. Recently, I discovered a 2-D anime masterpiece that was marketed by Disney called Castle In The Sky. I absolutely could not believe what a fantastic work it was. It takes place in a world that is too primitive to be futuristic, but too advanced to be in the past. I realize how confusing that is, but it is a world dominated by city-sized airships, floating islands, and steam-based technology. Think Jules Verne meets George Lucas.

The story begins when a group of sky pirates led by Dola and her crew of mama’s boys attempt to kidnap Sheeta from a gigantic airship. Sheeta is being held by foreign agents led by Muska, and she sees the attempted abduction as a chance to escape. Unfortunately, she falls off the airship, only to be miraculously levitated by her magical necklace. She is then found by Pazu, and together they are chased by pirates and the military. They soon discover that Sheeta and her necklace are the key to Laputa, a fortress powered by an advanced technology that floats in the clouds.

Although Disney released a translated version of this story in 2003 with such voices as Anna Paquin (Sheeta), James Van Der Beek (Pazu), Cloris Leachman (Dola), and Mark Hamill (Muska), the original version was released in 1986, three years before Disney’s 2-D animation boom with The Little Mermaid. Writer and Director Hayao Miyazaki created an ahead-of-its-time masterpiece that combines elements of both fantasy and science fiction and pushes 2-D animation to its highest level.

What makes it work is the fact that no 3-D animation is used. Even if such advanced technology had been available during that time, it would cheapen the effect. Remember how Titan A.E. tried to integrate the two elements, with 3-D rendered spaceships that looked too advanced in comparison to the cartoonish characters? There are several scenes in the film where we see robots, and I couldn’t help but think that a modern animation director would have rendered them in 3-D. If they had, then the whole film would simply not look as beautiful as it does.

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